Method for biomass fractioning by enhancing biomass thermal conductivity

ABSTRACT

A method is described for generating useful chemical intermediates from biomass using a novel pyrolysis reactor that utilizes the inherent thermal properties of carbon under compression as the biomass is subjected to sequential or concurrent temperature ramps. The ramps are sufficient to volatilize and selectively create different components, while the pressure application aids the selective decomposition of the biomass.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to systems for making renewablefuels, and more particularly to the conversion of biomass into usefulvolatile and non-volatile compounds via the use of inherentcompressional features of carbon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

In the early 21st century, global warming and its interrelationship withthe widespread use of fossil fuels has become one of the majortechnological challenges of our time. Finding ways to more effectivelyuse renewable biomass is a very important avenue for addressing theseissues. Prior to the beginning of the industrial revolution, wood andplant oils were the primary source of energy for pre-industrialcivilizations, which used this energy mainly for heating, cooking, andlight. During this early period, biomass was simply burned in open airto produce heat and light. Several thousand years ago, mankinddiscovered that if the air supply was restricted during the burningprocess, a dense black residual (which we now call coke) could beextracted from burning wood. This hot coke could be quenched with water,dried, and re-burnt to produce a much hotter, denser fire. The emergenceof coke proceeds in parallel with the development of metallurgy, whichis dependent upon its hotter and cleaner fire along with its reducingcapabilities to both extract metals from ore and form them into usefulproducts.

The process of roasting a combustible material in either a reducedoxygen environment or oxygen-free environment is now called pyrolysis.Pyrolyzing wood and other forms of mixed biomass produces coke (which issometimes called biochar) and a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide andcarbon dioxide, sometimes referred to as synthesis gas (syngas).Roasting fossil fuel hydrocarbons in an oxygen-free environment firstcauses a breakdown of longer chain hydrocarbons into shorter chainhydrocarbons, ultimately resulting in more elemental forms such asmethane (CH₄), hydrogen, and elemental carbon.

Likewise, biomass (which is made up of cellulose, hemicelluloses,lignin, starches, and lipids) proceeds through multiple steps ofdecomposition when subject to the pyrolysis process. In general, whensubject to high temperatures (e.g., 800° C.) for prolonged periods oftime, pyrolysis ultimately yields syngas. As the temperature andexposure time interval is reduced, an increasing amount of biocharresidue remains. At still lower temperatures and time intervals,increasingly complex hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons arepresent in the gas stream from the pyrolyzed biomass. At the lowextreme, simple everyday cooking typically drives off water and startsto de-hydrolyze the biomass, causing the darkening and carmelizationthat we all associate with cooked foods.

Various forms of laboratory and small scale commercial biomasspyrolyzers have been developed to generate useful chemical products fromthe controlled pyrolysis of biomaterials ranging from wood chips tosewage sludge. Although some pyrolyzers are focused simply on producingsyngas, there is considerable effort in the development of milderpyrolyzing conditions, which typically results in a condensed liquidcommonly called bio-oil. Many forms of pyrolyzers have been developed atthe laboratory level to produce these intermediate compounds, which arecollectively referred to as bio-oil or pyrolysis oil. Configurationsinclude simple tube furnaces where the biomass is roasted in ceramicboats, ablative pyrolyzers where wood is rubbed against a hot surface,various forms of fluidized bed pyrolyzers where biomass is mixed withhot sand, and various simpler configurations that are based on earliercoking oven designs.

The fundamental problem with the resultant pyrolysis oil is that it ismade up of hundreds to thousands of compounds, which are the result ofsubjecting the raw biomass to a wide range of temperature, time, andpressure profiles in bulk. When this process is complicated by thethousands of major bio-compounds in the original bio-feedstock, theresult is a nearly intractable array of resultant compounds all mixedtogether. Pyrolysis oils from such processes are typically notthermodynamically stable. They contain active oxygenated free radicalsthat are catalyzed by organic acids and bases such that these oilstypically evolve over a period of a few days from light colored liquidsto dark mixtures with tar and resinous substances entrained in the mix.Also, attempts to re-gasify pyrolysis oil typically result in additionalchemical reactions, which produce additional biochar and a shift tolower molecular weight components in the resulting gas stream. Althoughfairly high yields of pyrolysis oil can be achieved in laboratory scaleexperiments, larger industrial scale demonstration projects typicallyproduce much lower yield. This is presumably due to the wider range oftemperatures, hold times, and localized pressures within the much largerheated three dimensional volumes of such scale-up architectures.

Prior art illustrating the use of pressure in biomass conversionincludes U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,473, which discloses an apparatus used topulverize material composed of dry or wet pieces with shock wavescreated by alternating rotors and orifice plates. U.S. Pat. No.6,339,031 describes the formation of a microcellular carbon foam thatcomprises saturating a carbon fiber precursor at high temperature andpressure, then releasing the pressure suddenly, followed by a quenching,oxygen stabilization and carbonization. U.S. Patent Application No.2009/0308787 teaches the conversion of solid or highly viscous energycarrier material such as biomass, tar or heavy crude to liquid orgaseous reaction products. The carrier material is contacted with acatalyst material such as metal oxide and clays, and both are heated toa temperature between 200 and 450° C. to form vapor phase reactionproducts. The latter are said to be separated from the catalyst 10seconds after they are formed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a process for generating mild pyrolysisconditions within a pyrolyzer that entrains thin sheets of biomass, andsubjects the biomass to sequential or concurrent temperature ramps andpressure shocks. These temperature ramps and pressure shocks enable ahigh-yield release of useful volatile bio-intermediary compounds. Thebiomass treatment relies in part on peculiarities of the inherentcompressional properties of carbon which is generated during biomassdecomposition.

In various embodiments of the invention, biomass is subjected tosequential or concurrent temperature ramps and pressure shocks toproduce useful volatile chemical compounds and a novel type of char(referred as BMF char). The temperature ramps are sufficient tovolatilize and selectively create different biomass-derived components,while the pressure shocks aid the selective decomposition of the biomassduring compression and pulverization.

One embodiment of the invention involves a method for producing avolatile biomass product, comprising: grinding a biomass feedstock toproduce ground biomass particles; dispensing the ground biomassparticles into thin sheets; subjecting the ground biomass to sequentialor concurrent ramps of temperature and pressure shocks; selectivelycollecting at least one group of volatile compounds as it is releasedfrom the biomass.

A system for converting biomass to biofuel, comprising: means forgrinding biomass into particles; means for dispensing the ground biomassparticles into thin sheets; means for applying pressure shocks to theground biomass; means for applying temperature ramps to the groundbiomass; and means for collecting at least one group of volatilecomponents as it is released from the biomass.

Further embodiments of the invention set forth a process and system thatleads to the decomposition of biomass to produce useful volatile andnonvolatile chemical compounds.

Additional embodiments of this invention involve a process and methodfor the mild pyrolysis of biomass

Still further embodiments of this invention involve a system andalgorithm for the decomposition of biomass that utilizes the specialcompressional features of carbon.

Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the featuresin accordance with embodiments of the invention. The summary is notintended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined solely bythe claims attached hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention, in accordance with one or more variousembodiments, is described in detail with reference to the followingfigures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only andmerely depict typical or example embodiments of the invention. Thesedrawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of theinvention and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, orapplicability of the invention. It should be noted that for clarity andease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing biomass conversion to BMF char withsubsequent reaction in a BMF char reactor.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate method of loading biomass onto arotating disc supporting biomass reaction chambers.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process for generating the BMF char.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of applied pressure and temperature andcorresponding biomass response.

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are front and perspective views, respectively, of asystem for biomass conversion including indirectly heated anvils, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing process and results obtained with aspecific implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective of a system for biomass conversion includingdirectly heated anvils, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention

FIG. 8 a is an SEM picture of BMF char obtained from corn aftertreatment according to and embodiment of the present invention, whileFIG. 8 b is a comparative SEM of the same corn before treatment.

The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the inventionto the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that theinvention can be practiced with modification and alteration, and thatthe invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward biomass fractioning, wherebybiomass is processed through a biomass fractioning system that creates aseries of useful volatile components and BMF char through theapplication of selective temperature ramps and pressure shocks. Thevolatile components may be upgraded to diesel, gasoline or jet fuel. TheBMF char may be reacted with any one stream of methane, carbon dioxide,steam or oxygen to create highly pure synthesis gas with a controllablerange of compositions. The resulting synthesis gas may be used in anydesired manner, including conversion to alcohols such as methanol,oxygenates such as dimethyl ether, and to Fischer-Tropsch products suchas gasoline, diesel, lubricants and naptha.

BMF Char Generation

Referring now to FIG. 1, biomass 50 is loaded piecemeal onto a pluralityof movable biomass reaction chambers 51. By way of example, thecompartments may be made movable using conventional drive mechanismssuch as gear drives, chain drives, ratcheting sprockets, etc. Inaddition to linear displacements, the reaction chambers 51 may also bearranged on a disc that rotates continuously or in a stepwise fashion asshown in FIG. 2. The biomass 50 is then passed to a biomass fractioningreactor 60 that allows the production of high-yield bio-intermediarycompounds 61 and residual char 52 (i.e., BMF char).

As used herein, the term ‘biomass’ includes any material derived orreadily obtained from plant sources. Such material can include withoutlimitation: (i) plant products such as hark, leaves, tree branches, treestumps, hardwood chips, softwood chips, grape pumice, sugarcane bagasse,switchgrass; and (ii) pellet material such as grass, wood and haypellets, crop products such as corn, wheat and kenaf. This term may alsoinclude seeds such as vegetable seeds, fruit seeds, and legume seeds.

The term ‘biomass’ can also include: (i) waste products including animalmanure such as poultry derived waste; (ii) commercial or recycledmaterial including plastic, paper, paper pulp, cardboard, sawdust,timber residue, wood shavings and cloth; (iii) municipal waste includingsewage waste; (iv) agricultural waste such as coconut shells, pecanshells, almond shells, coffee grounds; and (v) agricultural feedproducts such as rice straw, wheat straw, rice hulls, corn stover, cornstraw, and corn cobs.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the biomass may be ground by a varietyof techniques into a particle size suitable for dispensation into thereaction chamber 51. Particle size may range from 0.001 inch to 1 inchin diameter, limited by processing equipment size and thermal transferrates.

Embodiments of the invention feature a biomass chamber 51 that is muchwider and longer than it is thick. In some cases, biomass is dispensedinto thin sheets whose total thickness is 1 to 30 times the biomassparticle size. A preferred thickness for the chamber for uncompressedbiomass (which is ground or chopped to ⅛″ or smaller) is approximately¾″ in thickness. As the biomass is heated and further pulverized (asdiscussed below), the emerging BMF char quickly condenses to a layerabout 1/10″ thick. This aspect ratio ensures mild pyrolyzing conditionsthat allow the collection of useful chemical compounds known asbio-intermediary compounds as well as the production of BMF char. Aperson of skill in the art will appreciate that these biomass chamberscan be sized in width and length along with the diameter of theircorresponding drive disc to any such size as appropriate for the desiredthroughput for the biomass fractionator, without departing from thescope if the invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the ground biomass is passed to biomass fractioningreactor 60, which subjects the biomass to a series of temperature rampprofiles (ΔTn) and pressure shock profiles (ΔPn), where n is an integergreater than 1 that describes the stages in the step-wise decompositionof the biomass. In particular, the biomass is subjected first to aheating profile ΔT1, typically a linear temperature ramp, by a heatingagent such as a metal anvil at processing station 58. Typically, thepurpose of this first ΔT1 profile is to dewater the biomass. SubsequentΔTn profiles end at progressively higher temperatures and serve thepurpose of outgassing and of the o-chemically converting solid biomassto volatile bio-compounds. These useful bio-compounds emerge atprogressively higher devolatilization temperatures. In order toaccomplish this devolatilization in a selective manner, the temperaturetreatment is accompanied by a pressure treatment. In the illustratedembodiment, this is achieved using compacting station 59 (e.g., a seriesof anvils) for subjecting the biomass to accompanying pressure profilesΔPn comprising a sequence of pressure shocks that exploit the inherentcompressional features of carbon.

In some embodiments, the temperature profiles are linear ramps rangingfrom 0.001° C./sec to 1000° C./sec, and preferably from 1° C./sec to100° C./sec. Processing heating station 58 may be heated by electricalheating elements, direct flame combustion, or by directed jets of heatedworking gas or supercritical fluid. The heating profile and the pressurecompaction profile may be linked via a feedback loop and may be appliedby the same agent simultaneously. Compacting station 59 may becontrolled by electrically driven devices, air compressed devices, orany other form of energy that serves to impact load the biomass. BMFchar 52 remains after these processing steps.

The selective pyrolysis of the biomass arises out of the interplaybetween the applied pressure pulses, applied temperature and resultantpressures and temperatures experienced by the biomass. The process isillustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 4, which shows applied pressure,biomass temperature, biomass pressure and anvil position as a functionof time. It is understood that a wide variety of different types ofpressure pulses may be applied, and that the entire illustration is apedagogic device. In FIG. 4, pressure shocks applied via compactingstation 59 are shown as a series of triangular pressure pulses with anunspecified rest time. The process starts out by utilizing the thermalconductivity of water. The biomass is first subjected to a temperatureramp sufficient to cause the biomass to release water. The releasedheated water vapor is then subjected to a pressure shock whichcompresses the steam, thus accelerating the biomass decomposition. Itmay be possible for the steam to attain supercritical form, though thatis not a requirement for the present invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, the pressure shock also aids incollapsing the biomass. A short time after peak pressure is applied, theanvil is pushed back by the pressure of extracted volatile compounds.When the volatile compounds are removed along with the steam, pressurewithin the biomass is decreased suddenly. Biomass temperature rapidlyreturns to base levels, and the anvil returns to its unextended baseposition. After the water has been removed entirely from the biomass,the applied temperature causes hot localized areas within the biomassthat initiate carbon formation. Compressive impacts on the newly formedcarbon serve in turn to increase the thermal conductivity of the carbon.The increased thermal conductivity serves to efficiently transmit heatenergy needed to break down the biomass to the next stage in itsdecomposition. Furthermore, because carbon exhibits compressionalmemory, compressive impacts are sufficient to exert this effect onthermal conductivity.

The compressional memory of carbon has been indirectly demonstrated instudies of commercial carbon resistors as low pressure gauges. SeeRosenberg, Z. et al International Journal of Impact Engineering 34(2007) 732-742. In these studies, metal discs were launched from a gasgun at high velocity and impact an epoxy or Plexiglas target in which acarbon resistor is embedded. Resistance changes were measured as afunction of time after impact. It was noted that the resistancedecreased rather rapidly in less than a microsecond, and stayed low forseveral microseconds, in some cases over 10 microseconds, until it beganto increase gradually to pre-impact levels. There is essentially amemory effect or a slow relaxation after the impact. As electricalresistance and thermal conductivity are inversely correlated for carbonas for metals (See, for example, Buerschaper, R. A. in Journal ofApplied Physics 15 (1944) 452-454 and Encyclopedia of ChemicalTechnolog, 5th edition), these studies reveal a compression memory onthe part of the carbon. This compression memory is at least partlyutilized in embodiments of the invention.

Embodiments of the invention also utilize the increase in thermalconductivity as carbon is compressed. The change in electricalresistance with pressure in carbon microphones is a well-known effectutilized by carbon telephones and carbon amplifiers. U.S. Pat. No.203,016, U.S. Pat. No. 222,390 and U.S. Pat. No. 474,230 to ThomasEdison, describe apparatus that transform sound compressions(vibrations) to changes in electrical resistance or carbon granules.Carbon is even more sensitive than most metals in its inverserelationship between electrical resistance and thermal conductivity.Below are data indicating the thermal conductivity of various substances(CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 87th edition) in comparison tothe measured thermal conductivity of BMF char:

TABLE 1 Select Thermal Conductivities in W/(m · K) Copper 390 StainlessSteel 20 Water 0.6 Dry Wood 0.3 Fuels 0.1 to 0.2 Carrier Gases (He, N₂,etc.) 0.01 to 0.02 Carbon Char 0.01 to 0.05 BMF char 1 to 5

As the thermal conductivity of the formed carbon within the biomassincreases due to pressure shocks, it becomes consequently easier toattain mild pyrolysis conditions within the biomass. As highertemperatures are reached, the fact that carbon is a better heat transferagent than water enables higher boiling compounds to become volatile.Pressure shocks serve to compress these higher boiling compounds andcontribute to fracturing cell walls within the biomass. The process isillustrated by FIG. 4 which shows anvil extension at peak pressuregetting longer with subsequent pulse application, thus indicatingsuccessive biomass pulverization in conjunction with release of usefulhigher boiling compounds.

A variety of pressure profiles ΔPn are effective in increasing thecarbon thermal conductivity. The magnitude of the pressure can vary from0.2 MPa to 10 GPa and may be applied via a number of differenttechnologies, including air driven pistons, hydraulically drivenpistons, and explosive driven devices. The duration of the pressureapplication can vary from 1 microsecond to 1 week. It is understood thatpressure pulses of different magnitudes and different time durations maybe admixed to yield optimum results.

The efficient heat energy transfer executed by embodiments of thepresent invention can be enhanced by the addition of supercriticalfluids in the reaction chamber. It is known that supercritical fluidscan improve heat transfer as well as accelerate reaction rates. Certainembodiments can operate with supercritical carbon dioxide, supercriticalwater, supercritical methane, supercritical methanol, or mixtures of theabove. It is possible that supercritical conditions are createdinternally with some pressure and temperature profiles.

A system capable of embodying the methods of the present invention isdescribed in co-owned, co-pending U.S. Patent Application No.2010/0180805 entitled “System and Method for Biomass Fractioning,” thecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.This system comprises a biomass load and dump station, a heatedpulverizing processing station for compressing the biomass, a biochardumping station for removing residual biochar, and a plurality ofbiomass reaction compartments able to carry the biomass from station tostation.

Example 1

Referring to FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, an exemplary embodiment of a system andmethod for biomass fractioning by enhancing biomass thermal conductivitywill now be described. In FIG. 5 a, a series of anvils 64 are containedin sealed reaction chamber 69 and driven by air cylinders having platenshafts 63. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two sets of anvils64, wherein every other anvil 64 constitutes a set and moves in unison.The anvils 64 exert pressure shocks on biomass 61, which has been groundand spread out as a thin sheet on pallet 62. The biomass 61 within thelatter pallet 62 can be heated to a predetermined temperature via heatedanvils 64. The reaction chamber 69 includes an orifice 67 for the exitof generated volatile compounds, and an orifice 68 for the introductionof an inert carrier gas. Anvils 64 are heated alternately when theycontact heater bar 66.

FIG. 5 b is a 3-dimensional illustration of the anvil assembly 64 andheater bar 66. The biomass experiences simultaneous pressure shocks andtemperature ramps by the downward motion of a set of anvils 64. In theillustrated embodiment, the anvils 64 are heated on the upward strokewhen the anvil 64 contacts the heater bar 66, which is heatedelectrically via feedthroughs 70. The bottom pallet is held in place bya semi-rigid structure that contains a damping mechanism 65 (see DetailA of FIG. 5 a) to allow some relaxation after impact.

Referring to FIG. 6, dried biomass 90 is provided in the form of woodchips containing extractives, lignins, hemicellulose, and glucans.Operation 92 involves a size reduction wherein the biomass is ground to1/16″ size and placed on rotating pallets in a chamber approximately ¾″thick. Within the biomass fractioning reactor 94, the biomass issubjected to a temperature ramp of 25° C./sec in an oxygen-freeatmosphere for varying amounts of time with intermittent pressure shocksof 80 MPa lasting for 2 seconds with a 50% duty cycle. The followingdistribution 96 of devolatilized compounds was observed:

Fractionator Stage Volatile Compound Char Formed Temperature n = 1 Waterand water soluble impurities 100-150° C. n = 2 Lipids BMF Char (2)150-250° C. n = 3 Furans BMF Char (3) 250-375° C. n = 4 C2-C5 compoundsand fragments BMF Char (4) 375-500° C. n = 5 CO, H2 and C1, C2 compoundsBMF Char (5) 500-650° C.

In addition to showing devolatilized components, FIG. 6 also shows thepossible conversion of devolatilized organic components to variousliquid fuels 98 and the resultant BMF char 100. The chemicals can alsobe useful on their own as co-produced chemicals. By contrast, typicalpyrolysis processes do no exhibit a clear volatilization profile asshown above.

Example 2

Referring to FIG. 7, another exemplary embodiment of a system and methodfor biomass fractioning by enhancing biomass thermal conductivity willnow be described. In this implementation, each anvil 74 is directlyheated via heat conducting electrical feedthroughs 80 attached to eachanvil. Anvils 74 are again divided into two sets, each of which movesalternately to compact the biomass. The anvils 74 are heated byfeedthroughs 80 to a predetermined temperature, determined by thevolatilization temperature of the desired compounds. In the illustratedembodiment, one set of anvils 74 is driven by two pneumaticallycontrolled shafts which move up and down within openings 75 a, whileanother set of anvils 74 is driven by the center shaft (within centeropening 75 c).

FIG. 8 a is an SEM image of BMF char obtained from corn after treatmentusing a system and method for biomass fractioning, as disclosed herein.FIG. 8 b is a comparative SEM image of the same corn before treatment.It is apparent from these images that the treatment has created a novelhoneycomb structure within the BMF char, as depicted in FIG. 8 a.

Modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without affectingthe scope of the invention.

Although the invention is described above in terms of various exemplaryembodiments and implementations, it should be understood that thevarious features, aspects and functionality described in one or more ofthe individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to theparticular embodiment with which they are described, but instead can beapplied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the otherembodiments of the invention, whether or not such embodiments aredescribed and whether or not such features are presented as being a partof a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the presentinvention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unlessotherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposedto limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” shouldbe read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term“example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item indiscussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or“an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or thelike; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,”“standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construedas limiting the item described to a given time period or to an itemavailable as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompassconventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may beavailable or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, wherethis document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known toone of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass thoseapparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in thefuture.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “atleast,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instancesshall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or requiredin instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. Additionally,the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms ofexemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As willbecome apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading thisdocument, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives canbe implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. Theseillustrations and their accompanying description should not be construedas mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

1. A method for producing a volatile biomass product, comprising:grinding a biomass feedstock to produce ground biomass particles;dispensing the ground particles into thin sheets; subjecting the groundbiomass to sequential or concurrent ramps of temperature and pressureshocks; and selectively collecting at least one group of volatilecompounds as it is released from the biomass.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the biomass particles are ground to a diameter in the range of0.001 inch to 1 inch, and wherein the thin sheets have a thickness thatis a multiple of the ground biomass particle diameter.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the thickness of the thin sheets is between 1 and 30times the biomass particle diameter.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe ramps of temperature vary from about 0.001° C./sec to about 1000°C./sec.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ramps of temperature arevaried over a period of time ranging from about 1 microsecond to about 1week.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure shocks areincremented over a range of pressures.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe pressure shocks are applied over a range of times varying from about1 microsecond to about 1 week.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thepressure shocks vary in magnitude from about 0.2 MPa to about 10 GPa. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein an admixture of pressure shocks ofdiffering magnitudes are applied over a range of times.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein the biomass is subjected to a controlled gasatmosphere or supercritical fluid while being subjected to a temperatureramp.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass is subjected to acontrolled gas at atmosphere or supercritical fluid while beingsubjected to pressure shocks.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein thegroup of volatile compounds includes gas components selected from thegroup consisting of: lipids, furans, hydrocarbons or hydrocarbonfragments, and synthesis gas.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thetemperature ramps include a sufficiently high temperature to create acarbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the pressure shocks increase thermal conductivity offormed carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.
 15. Themethod of claim 13, wherein pressure shocks increase the surface area offormed carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the pressure shocks decrease the effectivedensity of the biomass.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressureshocks aid to fracture cellulosic biomass cell walls.
 18. A system forconverting biomass to biofuel, comprising: means for grinding biomassinto particles; means for dispensing the ground biomass particles intothin sheets; means for applying pressure shocks to the ground biomass;means for applying temperature ramps to the ground biomass; and meansfor collecting at least one group of volatile components as it isreleased from the biomass.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein thebiomass particles are ground to a diameter in the range of 0.001 inch to1 inch, and wherein the thin sheets have a thickness that is a multipleof the ground biomass particle diameter.
 20. The system of claim 18,wherein the temperature ramps and the pressure shocks are appliedsimultaneously by the same means.